


I was waiting on a different story

by ShariDeschain



Series: Dick and Dami Week 2019 [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin (Comics)
Genre: DickandDamiweek2019, Gen, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2020-01-07 10:28:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18408785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShariDeschain/pseuds/ShariDeschain
Summary: “I’m not an orphan!”, the kid yells and he’s angry alright, but it doesn’t look like the kind of angry Dick’s become accustomed in the last few months.#DickAndDamiWeek2019 Day 2 - Paparazzi





	I was waiting on a different story

The rolled newspaper flies over the entire length of the kitchen, clearly intended to end up in Dick’s bowl of cereals. He catches it just in time and sets it down next to it without commenting. It’s too early to have a fight.

Damian, being Damian, obviously disagrees with him.

“I’m not an orphan!”, the kid yells and he’s angry alright, but it doesn’t look like the kind of angry Dick’s become accustomed in the last few months.

He takes a look at the newspaper’s headlines and quickly finds out what has upset the kid. Dick scratches at Vicki Vale’s signature under the article and sighs because he knew it was coming, Alfred had warned him. He had also suggested that Dick should talk to Damian about it, but Dick, in all honesty, had hoped he could ignore the whole thing, that he could at least be spared this discussion. No such luck, apparently.

“Damian…”, he starts, even if he doesn’t know what to say. Agreeing to that interview had been the only way to protect himself and Damian from the mounting curiosity of the city’s wealthy circles, which always paid attention to whatever happened around the Wayne family. It was also the only way to protect the paparazzi from Damian, in the unfortunate event that they tried to approach the boy.

But Dick knows Damian’s not interested in any of that.

“You lied!”, the kid accuses him, and he’s pretty far away from Dick (and from Alfred’s knives block, thank god), but for some reason that’s not reassuring at all. Damian can be terrifyingly fast when he’s mad, and Dick must admit that in this case most of his anger (and some of his attempted stabbings) would be more than deserved.

“I did”, Dick confirms, putting down his spoon and pushing the newspaper out of his way. “But only because it was the simplest thing for us.”

“Elliot is impersonating Father”, Damian reminds him. “There was no reason for you not to say that I’m the son of Bruce Wayne! If it bothers you so much that I am his blood son then-”

And Dick should not let those words get at him. He really, really should be better than that right now. But he isn’t.

“Do I have to remind you that Bruce is dead?”, he almost yells and the spoon clinks against the ceramic of the bowl, sinking down into the puddle of milk at the bottom of it.

“No, you don’t have to remind me that”, the kid answers, and he’s so furious he’s red in the face now, but there’s black ice in his eyes, when he repeats, quieter this time: “But I’m not an orphan.”

Dick slowly clenches his fists under the table and lets out a breath.

“No, of course not”, he agrees, already regretting his previous outburst. “But I couldn’t involve Talia, could I? And if I told them you are Bruce’s son people would’ve asked why you’re here with me instead than with Elliot. And I don’t want you anywhere near that man.”

Damian makes a scoffing sound, but the mention of his mother’s name deflates him a little.

“I could take him any time.”

Dick closes his eyes for a moment and rubs a hand over his forehead. He can feel the mother of all the headaches coming.

“Not the point, kid.”

Damian looks like he wants to argue, then he decides to drop it and Dick knows why, like he knows what is the thing the kid’s most upset about. It was just there, line four: ... _and much as his mentor Bruce Wayne had done for him after the unfortunate death of his parents, Richard Grayson has apparently decided to repay that kindness by taking another orphan as his own ward, reinforcing a circle of merciful actions that..._

“You said I was an orphan”, Damian repeats, and Dick realizes that the boy has probably read and reread that article dozens of times before coming down here to throw it in his face. “And that you took me in as your ward because that’s what Father has done for you.”

“I didn’t say anything like that”, Dick sighs. “I mostly just let her assume whatever she wanted. It’s the only way to deal with the press, and with Vicki Vale in particular. You’ll learn in time, I promise.”

Damian shakes his head just once, and the fire in his eyes burns in a way that tells Dick the press of Gotham better never try to take a hit to this kid, if they don’t wish to regret ever thinking to become journalists in the first place.

“But is it true?”, Damian asks, taking a step towards him. “Is only to repay my father of his kindness that you’re keeping me here?”

His voice suggests that Damian wouldn’t feel particularly surprised if it were, indeed, the truth. That it would actually make more sense to him if Dick had some kind of interest in this, even if it were only a sense of duty towards their shared father.

“I…”, Dick starts, then he pauses. “You are Bruce’s son, and I _do_ feel an obligation towards you because of this. Not because I think that I’m paying back a debt I had with your father, but because that makes you my family, and I always take care of my family. Or, at least, I try to.”

Damian dwells on the words for a few seconds, then shoots another glance at the discarded newspaper.

“That’s not what it sounded like in there.”

“That’s because this is somebody else’s story about us, Damian”, Dick answers in a soft voice. “There may be my words in it, but I’m not the one who’s written it. This is not you and me, okay?”

“People will believe that story”, Damian argues anyway, and Dick has to smile at that.

“Do you really care about what other people think?”, he asks.

Damian concedes him the point by rolling his eyes at him.

“As if.”

“Good”, Dick decides. He picks up the newspaper and throws it in the bin behind him. “Then sit your ass down and have breakfast with me, you brat.”

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the #DickandDamiWeek2019 on tumblr. [Day 2 - Paparazzi](https://unavenged-robin.tumblr.com/post/184061880638/day-2-paparazzi-the-rolled-newspaper-flies-over)


End file.
